Beyond Darkness Lies Shadow
by Scarlett Franco
Summary: Self-Insert OC - Jolly ole St. Nick knocked his little helper off my roof and into my awaiting arms. My visual outlook fell into darkness... Where the hell am I?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I don't anything in Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto is the man.

This is my first fanfiction that I've ever written. I'm excited and then I'm not... I don't know we'll see if I can finish this. Be nice, honest and humble eh? I definitely need a beta. Hit me up.

_self-insert OC _|

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_Thoughts_

'Talking'

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I remember waking up in my dingy little apartment, the tiny rivulets of rain drip from my ceiling riddled with holes and into various buckets and containers around my house. Looking at my bedside alarm the numbers **8:57** lash out at me. _The handy man is supposed to be here by now... where the fuck is he? _Just then the echo of knocking on wood reverberates down the hallway. In my fluffy bunny slippers and kitten pajamas I slink over to the door and thrust it open. Standing there drenched from the torrential rain fall is an overweight man with a jolly smile and a little girl who appears to be no older then 8 years of age. All I remember thinking in that moment is _who the fuck ordered modern day Santa and his little helper? _I did.

Kicking open the door I let the odd duo into my apartment- showed them what needed patching up and told them to get to it. I'm rather blunt. I know. Sometimes when I think back to that moment, I think that was the calm before the storm- the time of relative peace before shit hit the fan.

For a short time the rain let up, allowing Santa and his helper to heave themselves onto my shoddy roof and do some patchwork. In time the rain came back, much harder than before. It almost felt like miniature bullets were pelting you in the face constantly, despite my uncaring attitude I put forth all the time, I do care. And having an 8 year old slipping and falling to her demise from _my roof _didn't look to be in my best interests. Poking my head over the top of the roof to get a look at what was going on, _why the fuck are they still up here in this downpour?! _I don't think my heart has ever stopped like it did that night.

I came to a realization on this night. Fat people suck. They have no balance, they jiggle with every move they make and sometimes I feel like they can't control their breathing. This is probably why I had never really taken to Santa as a kid. Every time I close my eyes all I see is a bolt of lightning striking too close for comfort to Jolly ole St. Nick on my roof top, he collapses and knocks the little tyke by his side straight off the edge of my shingle clad roof. Straight To me. It's almost like just two seconds ago I felt that little girl ram into my body and send us sailing through the air. She was lucky. Blessed with a human cushion. Guess not everyone gets that pleasure. The last thing I remember was the flash of red and blue lights... and then nothing. Darkness engulfed my vision and I was gone to the world.

A part of me knows that what I did was the right thing. I did good by that little girl, she was too young to die. But so was I, at 17 my whole life changed and I became a teenager reincarnated.

The day of my death isn't the most pleasant memory that I retain within my tiny little head now. Sometimes I look back and wish I hadn't been so stupid. So _noble. _I wished for another chance. Oh boy, did I get another chance alright- I just didn't think fate would throw in a loophole upon my dying wish.

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I NEED A BETA :3 Have a good day! I hope you enjoyed my prologue... You did didn't you? No? I'm sad.

Review for me please? I feel like I need some constructive criticism.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing... except my character. Masashi Kishimoto is the man.

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Shout out to LockFlower for reviewing. Thanks much, you're a babe.

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_A day without sunshine is like, you know, night. _

_-Steve Martin_

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**Chapter 1:**Rude Awakening

I was thrust through something snug and warm and into chilly air. I felt slippery and wet... _what is this? _I try opening my eyes and find that I can't, I can feel myself start to convulse; I'm panicking. _Where am I? Why can't I open my eyes? Am I blind? _Suddenly strong, firm hands pick me up and I can feel them swaddle me up in cloth. Finally I have the strength to crack my eyes open, my vision is blurred and all around me I see dark shadows. Big, human sized shadows. These shadows take me away from the warmth, and I find myself letting loose a guttural cry. I never cry, but I can't seem to stop myself and I continue on. These shadows aren't gentle, they twist me and turn me over until all I see are blurs.

"All vitals are good." I hear a shadow mumble, "Her airway is cleared, no obstructions." I hear another say. _Vitals? Airway? What are they talking about? _The shadows wrap me up again and I can feel a hat being pulled over my head.

"Come on honey, push!" I hear another gruff voice say frantically, _What the heck? Is there a live birth happening in front of me? _"aaaaAAAAAAHH!" I hear a feminine voice yelp in pain and grunt heavily after, _Definitely a birth... can't think of anything else. _

The sound of a baby's wails fill the room, and I can feel the tension from the shadows release. "Congratulations Mrs. Nara," I hear the shadow holding me say jovially, _Nara? What the fuck? _"You've successfully bore twin babies, one boy and one girl." _Twins? Babies? _I feel my heart skip a beat before continuing... "What names do you want on the birth certificates?" _Holy shit! Shit, shit, shit, fucking shitty McShit house! _

"Shikaku baby, what shall we name our darling twins?" I hear a soft tired voice speak, _Please don't. Don't say what I think you're going to say. _"Shikamaru and Shikayana Nara." A gruff, gravelly voice christens us. I feel another little body of warmth laid down beside me, glancing over I see that it's not one of those big shadows- but a small one. The last thing I find myself thinking before succumbing to the inevitable sleep I felt coming on, _I'm in Naruto. I was born a Nara and I'm the twin of a genius. Fanfuckingtastic. _

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**1 month**

Inevitably, I eventually woke up from my slumber. I wasn't thrilled to say the least. Being bottle fed by your ninja father is... interesting to say the least. I don't know, maybe Daddy Nara thought shoving a kunai into someone's brain is the same as sticking a bottle into a newborn's mouth. It's not, I promise.

My twin, _twin... It's so weird thinking that. _Anyway, of the two of us, of course Shikamaru is the most laid back. I get bored in this tiny infant body, I'm incapable of doing anything that I could in my previous life. It's frustrating, my cherub hands can't pick anything up yet and my thumbs don't listen to me. It's like I'm a baby vegetable, one that's not paralyzed mind you- I can't wait to get older.

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**3 months**

Gibberish. That's all Japanese ever sounds like to me, _why's the shit so damn complicated? _Mother speaks to Shikamaru and I constantly, I heard her reprimanding Father one day; apparently newborns pick up words if you keep talking to them. So she talks to us whenever she can, the one word she really tries to engrave in our brains though is 'Mama'. I'm convinced her and Dad have a bet going on... whenever Father is home he tries bribing Shika and I to say 'Daddy'. Of course, Shikamaru won't put forth the effort. He's an incredibly smart baby, there's just never any time for our parents to find out. He sleeps ALL day. Literally. Not surprising considering he's the lazy genius of our generation.

I thought when I was brought into this world that I wouldn't be able to bond with the people that birthed me. But I did, and I'm growing to love them more and more each day. I thought that if I grew to love my new parents- I would forget the ones I left behind in my previous life. I haven't. And while I do indeed still love them, it's hard not to form a loving bond with the people you watch care for you at birth.

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**6 months**

The Nara forest is my favorite place to be, it's just in our backyard and I always try to make an escape into it's leafy depths. I'm always caught before I'm more than a meter away, having ninja parents makes it difficult to get away with anything.

On this particular day I was feeling lazy, rolling around in the grass around my brother was much more preferable this day. Mother was hanging up laundry to dry on the clothing line, while Shika slept and I spaced out. Eventually mother picked up her one-sided conversation with us, today she was talking about how the grass is green. Through her incessant rambling I'm able to understand simple words and phrases in Japanese now, not that she knows that. I watch her whisk her way through the laundry, with the grace of a former ninja she finishes quickly.

"Skikamaru, Shikayana, can you say Mama?" She sits on the grass between us, she gets a twitch out of Shikamaru before he rolls over. _Lazy kid... _Mother turns her coffee eyes onto my form, "Shikayana? Mama? Can you say Mama for me baby girl?" I rip up piles of grass with my tiny fists and watch them flutter away in the wind. I hear a deep sigh come out of my mother and I feel like I disappointed her, I know she's only excited for us to speak. I watch her as she gets a new basket of laundry and continues to clip them to the clothes line, she has this dejected expression on her face. _I didn't know it was that important to Mom that we speak, at least not yet. _I guess it made sense though, Shikamaru and I hadn't so much as made a peep since our birth. Besides the usual 'I'm hungry' wail we're pretty laid back babies. I'm unusually adventurous and Shikamaru is unusually lazy... that's just the way it's been. Looking upon my mother I acquiesce, _fine- if it makes her happy. _

"Ma- " she doesn't hear my first attempt and I'm glad, _that sucked... Lets try this again. _Clearing my throat I feel the sound fill my throat, "Mama!" I exclaim with my toddler vocals and I wait... She's frozen, and the entire laundry basket is askew on the grass. I can see her pivot on one foot and she's staring at me, I try again, "Mama," I say in a softer tone. And I almost regret saying it at all because she takes one look at me and begins crying. _Didn't I do what she wanted me to? What's with the waterworks man? _Looking to my right I find Shikamaru sitting at attention for the first time... well ever really. "Mama," I chirp again. Glancing over at Shika I see a twinkle in his eye, _Man, he really is intelligent. _And then he did the most un-lazy thing I think I've ever seen from him, he started chirping right along with me, "Mama!" I'm almost positive Shikamaru and I had never gotten such a tight hug from Mother that day.

**Shikaku's POV**

_I'm confused_. _Yoshino? _Upon my return home, I found my wife dancing around with the twins in her arms to some unknown tune, and my babies are giggling. As far as Shikaku knew his babies didn't giggle._ What the hell happened?_

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_P.S. Beta me babes. I need one. _

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Review for me please, I feel some strong constructive criticism coming on :/

Thanks for reading Chapter 1: Rude Awakening! D:

YESSS! I have made it through 2 chapters, this is something for the record books guys. Somebody call Guiness World Records... I feel some cookies are in order.

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Question of the day?

If you could pick an animal, which one would you be?

Comment in the reviews (: I'll post my answer next chapter yo'


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Been over this. I'm not the owna' man… Masashi is a beast.

Shout out to everyone for all the reviews, favorites, and follows.

**Authors Note:** I realize I haven't updated in a year and a half. My bad. Cut me up with your scathing words in that review section . But seriously I am sorry, I started this fanfic because I honestly love OC fanfictions and I love Naruto… you know so what's not to love? Anyway—I have my story completely outlined the only thing I have to do is write it out. That's the lengthy part. To be quite frank I get surprise reviews every once in a while and it reminds me I need to get my shit together because I started this thing and I'm going to damn well end it. Enjoy!

P.S. Still need a beta to proof read my ish.

_"__Silence is a friend who will never betray." _

_-Confucius_

**Chapter 2: **Sprouting Out of the Weeds

**1 Year**

At a year old I find myself sleeping A LOT. As much I try to stay awake during the day I sleep about 18 hours every night… I know it's because babies are growing and all that _shit_ but I have work to do. Shikamaru and I are somehow on the same sleeping schedule, maybe it's because we're twins? Whatever, I'm not going to look too much into it. Anyway, we're roused from our sleep by Yoshino who then proceeds to bathe, clothe, and feed us. After that we lounge around with Mom all day, watching her play the everlasting role of the kunoichi turned housewife. Washing dishes, scrubbing tatami mats, dusting in places that have no more dust because she already dusted there… the point is at one years old life is drab.

**2 Years Old**

Same Shit. Except I grew some teeth. Hooray.

**3 Years Old**

Shikamaru and I are wreaking fucking havoc. Or well… I wreak the havoc and he'll follow me around and sleep while I get my inner bad girl on.

**4 Years Old**

The _pitter patter_ of feet against wooden floors reach my ears. Cracking open a lazy eye from my two-hour slumber I see my father—in his hands he has the remains of a mission report with sloppy katakana drawn with lipstick.

"Shikayana. What is this?" He points at it with a dubious finger.

"Uhh I was trying to write my name…" I say in a meek voice.

He gives the paper another dubious look, as if it'll catch on fire and burn his retinas.

Pointing at it he says, "You spelled your name wrong. And we have pencils honey…"

"I know THAT dad. I was being creative! And I did not spell my name wrong!" I exclaim with a pout on my face. Katakana are freaking HARD to learn, and Japanese characters are a bitch to write. So excuse the sloppy paint job, I'm working on it.

Dad beckons me forward. I'm curious about what he wants, "Am I in trouble?" I question him. "No, but I'm going to teach you to write properly." He grunts and proceeds to drill me for the next few hours on katakana, brush strokes, etc. A couple weeks later I'm able to spell my name right and I have badass handwriting—for a four-year-old at least.

**5 Years Old**

"Yana and Maru! Come downstairs."

That's the first thing my sleep addled brain comprehends in the morning. Shika and I trudge down the stairs at a sedate pace, eyes half-cracked and big yawns escaping our maws. I take a seat at the table with my brother until I realize that there's no breakfast out—nothing. I finally wake up enough to see our parents sitting next to each other at the table with stern looks on their faces. This isn't unusual, it just doesn't happen often which is why Shikamaru and I make sure to pay rapt attention to what they're about to announce.

Coughing to clear his throat dad raps a hand on the table, "We're enrolling you two into the ninja academy." I can't honestly say I'm surprised, caught off guard a little but not completely baffled unlike my brother. He's already got his head buried in his arms moaning about 'What a drag this is…' typical Maru.

I nudge him and he turns to give me a disgruntled look, "Don't worry otouto, I'll take care of you!" and I mean it, because there's a shit storm headed our way in about 10 years and I'm going to have to be able to take care of myself. That includes Maru, he's a part of me and together we'll become strong. I can feel the smirk creeping onto my face, and I hear a faint" You're weird nee-san…" but I ignore it in favor of breakfast finally being served.

Finally, Chapter 2 is complete. I know all of my chapters have been short but they're my beginning ones just to fill you in a little. I don't know I wanted there to some background. From now on we're getting into the plot and my chapters will be longer.

**Previous Question of the Day:** If you could pick an animal, which one would you be?

**My Answer:** I would be a jaguar, because they're sleek and fucking badass.

**Question of the Day:** What's your favorite movie of all time?


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